A Cry Upon The Wind
by rivergirl
Summary: What would you say to family or friends if you have only one breath left. Leighlah Cartwright will find out how important her family is to her, when it matters the most.


**The Bonanza cast rightly belongs to NBC as well as its superiors and David  
>Dortort as well as Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker and Michael<br>Landon. I do not own them, and in no way gaining any money off of this story,  
>or that of its plot. I only own the character of Leighla Lynn Cartwright.<strong>

**The Cartwright's' are how they would appear in BONANZA.  
>Leighla is 10 years old. The story is told in Leighla's POV. <strong>**A.N This Is My First Bonanza Story, So Please Be Nice! ****Also: A Big Shout Out And Extravagent Thank You To: Sierra Rose 22 For Proof Reading This Story  
>Thanks Chica!<strong>

My name is Leighla Lynn Cartwright. I just turned 10 today, so I am a big  
>girl now, well maybe not as big as Hoss, no one can ever be as big as Hoss.<br>Just ask my oldest brother Adam. He's older than Hoss by six years, but you  
>would never know that because Hoss is 4 inches taller than Adam. And well, a<br>whole 2 feet taller than my older brother, Little Joe.

Every night before I would go to bed, Adam would always tell me stories about  
>when he and papa were on the wagon train coming here to Nevada. He would tell<br>me about when Hoss was born, and how he was actually small enough to hold in  
>his arms.<p>

But like I would always say to Adam, "I need to see it to believe  
>it."<p>

My family is very religious, and we say grace before eating meals. (shhhh…  
>don't<br>tell anyone, but I usually pick at my meals during grace). We say our prayers  
>before bedtime.<p>

And my brothers always have to come in and say, "Alright let's  
>hear your prayers."<p>

I remember one time when Adam, Hoss and Pa were on a cattle drive and I was at  
>home with Little Joe. He came in one night and told me to say my prayers. I<br>asked him if I could pray about anything. He smiled at me and nodded. So, I  
>prayed for my teacher to get sick. He swatted me for that one.<p>

I remember asking our reverend at church what it was like to die. And he  
>told me that he didn't have any first hand knowledge. But he would assume<br>that  
>you would see a bright light at the end of a tunnel, or you would see your<br>loved ones faces, or your life would flash before your eyes. I took those  
>into<br>consideration. And at the time, unknown to me, the reverend had approached  
>Adam and told him about my question.<p>

Looking back on that day now, I knew that it really depended on how you died.  
>I for one know that for a fact. Because what I saw was nothing close to the<br>answers I received at church. In fact, I would of loved to see my mother's  
>face…she passed away when I was 2. Or remember the times when I would<br>sit on my papa's lap and he would bounce me on one knee, or Adam tucking me  
>in at night and reading me bedtime stories. Even Hoss when he was teaching me<br>how to properly take care of injured animals, or even Little Joe when he let  
>me ride Cochise. Maybe even Hop Sing when he was teaching me how to cook,<br>(okay let's not remember that one).

I would of even loved to be able to say goodbye and give them all one last  
>hug<br>and kiss. I even wish that I could take back what I said to them this  
>morning.<br>I want to tell them that I love them all, just one last time. But sadly, all  
>of those<br>thoughts, memories and actions soon faded away from me like a cry upon the

wind.

It happened so fast, that if you were to blink, you'd miss it. As I laid  
>there at the bottom of the creek, nestled in some rocks and grass, feeling<br>the  
>coldness of the water as it soaked my clothes and skin… I cried. I cried<br>for  
>my Pa, Adam, Hoss and Little Joe. I cried for help.<p>

I wish I could tell them how much they have meant to me, and how happy they  
>have made my life. But somehow, I think they already knew.<p>

As I laid there by myself in the dark, alone, bleeding and gasping for air,  
>and feeling as though my soul would soon leave this earth… I felt at peace.<br>At peace knowing that I was and always will be really and truly loved, and  
>blessed with<br>a family like I had.

My vision begins to blur, I feel as though I am slipping away. I faintly hear  
>hoof beats above me, then a scream and a gunshot. A smile slowly crawls across<br>my  
>face as I realized that my family was here, and I would not die alone.<p>

I can't feel anything anymore, and my body is almost numb. I soon feel loving  
>arms wrap around my body and pull me to their chest. The smell… I recognize<br>it. It's Adam. I listen to his heart beating at a steady pace, sort of like  
>the<br>sound a metronome would make. And I soon realize that it is time for me to

go.

With my last breath I whisper, "I love you."

And as I begin to lose my fight, I hear the words I have been waiting to hear  
>since I had left the ranch.<p>

"We love you too."

It sounded so beautiful to me. And right then and there, I knew that  
>everything would be alright. I knew then that they had to let me go, and so<br>did they as they held me tightly in their arms while I slipped away. 


End file.
